


His Loving Hands

by LittleNightbird13



Category: Star Wars Legends: Thrawn Trilogy - Timothy Zahn
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-27
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2019-03-24 14:55:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13813539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleNightbird13/pseuds/LittleNightbird13
Summary: Some days, Pellaeon feels every bit his age. Fortunately, he has a doting lover who delights in taking care of him.





	His Loving Hands

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ArgentGale](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArgentGale/gifts), [uptownhuxyouup (allhailjeremybrett)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/allhailjeremybrett/gifts), [moomkin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/moomkin/gifts).



Old age, Pellaeon mused, has absolutely no respect for the elderly. Granted, he was hardly ancient, being only in his sixties, but damn it, he sure as kriffing hell _felt_ ancient some days. He wondered if the younger officers truly appreciated just how lucky they were to not wake up some mornings (or what passed for mornings on a Star Destroyer) with their bodies expressing their displeasure at having to get out of bed and face a long duty shift.  
  
 Probably not, the whelps.  
  
 It was times like this that he wished he had a nice comfortable command chair to lounge in while he issued orders and conducted the daily business of running the _Chimaera_. He couldn't stop himself from casting envious glances over at his Chiss lover, who was seated in his own chair, placidly watching over the activity on his bridge, idly petting the ysalamir (Twinkle,one of his favorites, and arguably the most spoiled of the Admiral's pets) that had taken up residence in his lap. Said Chiss, though, being as preternaturally perceptive as he was, noticed that something appeared to have his second-in-command feeling out-of-sorts. Thrawn gestured for Pellaeon to come stand beside him and looked up at him, his red gaze full of concern. Pellaeon couldn't help but notice that the fuzzier-than-most ysalamir actually looked positively jealous at her beloved master paying attention to another living being.  
  
 "Are you all right, Captain?" Thrawn asked, voice pitched low enough that no one else could hear. "You look exhausted, and you are moving rather stiffly. It is beginning to worry me." Lowering his voice still further, Thrawn added, "Is your back still troubling you?" His lover had mentioned having back pain a day or so earlier, but had dismissed it as nothing worth making a fuss over and Thrawn hadn't pressed him about it, taking his partner's word for it that he would be just fine.   
  
 Pellaeon knew there was no use denying it. Thrawn didn't miss anything. "I am tired," he admitted, with a sigh. "I didn't sleep well at all last night because yes, my back is bloody well still killing me. I must have done something to aggravate it worse than I thought, though I'm damned if I know what." He suppressed a wince as another spasm seized his muscles. "It's distracting, but I'll manage."  
  
 "Perhaps you should visit medical and request something for the pain, or at least have a medic look you over?"  
  
 Pellaeon shook his head. "No point, sir. The stuff they give out stopped helping years ago. I'll be fine. My shift is over in three hours, anyway. Don't worry about me." He forced a self-deprecating, reassuring chuckle. "All part of getting old."  
  
 A tiny fond smile, too small to be noticed by anyone on the bridge, flitted across the Admiral's lips. "I cannot stop worrying about you merely because you tell me to. Which is why I am relieving you of the rest of your shift. Go and get some rest." Thrawn rose from his chair, very carefully depositing his now-disgruntled ysalamir back on to her nutrient- frame behind him. He led Pellaeon off the bridge, through the exit archway. Pellaeon could have sworn that Twinkle was giving him a look of glaring hatred, the territorial little demon. It amused him no end that there seemed to be ysalamiri who loved him as much as they did their master, and others who weren't happy at all sharing Thrawn with a human they apparently viewed as a rival for the warlord's affections.  
  
 When they were away from overly-curious eyes and too-sharp ears, Thrawn turned to face his Captain and took one of Pellaeon's hands in his own, entwining their fingers. "If you like, Gilad, you may relax in my quarters. You _are_ forever going on about how mine is the more comfortable bed. It would do you good to get off your feet, I think. Take some pressure off of your back. You have been coping well, but it has been days now, and you do not appear to be getting any better. You ought not push yourself so hard. It cannot be good for you." Taking a quick glance around, Thrawn raised Pellaeon's gloved hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. "I will be with you in a few hours, _ch'acico_. Will you be all right on your own?"  
  
 Pellaeon squeezed his lover's hand reassuringly. "I'll be fine," he repeated for what seemed like the hundredth time over the last few days. "A hot shower and a lie-down should help set me to rights." He arched an eyebrow at the Admiral. "Are there murderous ysalamiri loose in your quarters that I need to be worried about mauling me? I do remember the last time I entered your quarters on my own, you know. I feared for my life."  
  
 Thrawn chuckled as he recalled that particular incident. "Hardly. I have moved the more....possessive ones into my office. I do not wish for a repeat performance of Vana and Vesper's rather impressive display of aggression toward you. Nothing in my extensive research ever suggested that ysalamiri were capable of such behavior. Or of such attachment to the people who care for them. I am sorry they frightened you so badly."  
  
 _Rather impressive display of aggression_ was, Pellaeon thought, putting it mildly. The two ysalamiri had practically attacked him and sent him bolting from Thrawn's quarters in mortal terror, thankful that he could still run fast at his age (ysalamiri were quick little buggers when they wanted to be) without risking a heart attack. The bloody creatures hadn't managed to land a bite or anything like that on him, but it had been a close thing. Damn things gave Rukh a run for his credits in the ability-to-frighten department and no mistake.  
  
 "No need to apologize," Pellaeon said. "You brought them aboard for protection, after all, so I can hardly fault them for doing their job. And it's not like _all_ of them despise me for stealing your attention."  
  
 Thrawn smiled at that. "I dare say Admiral Snoots is quite fond of you. You'll find him dozing on his nutrient-frame this time of day." He let go (very reluctantly) of Pellaeon's hand. "I ought to get back to the bridge. Go and rest now. I will be along to take care of you as soon as I am able."  
  
 " _Take care of me_ , hmm? I'll hold you to that."  
  
 "Please do." And with that, Thrawn turned and headed back to the bridge while Pellaeon strode off in the direction of the Grand Admiral's quarters, trying to ignore the pain in his back flaring up with every step he took.  
  


  
***********************************

  
After a long hot shower during which he had stood under the pounding spray letting the water ease the ache in his tight muscles, Pellaeon was feeling somewhat better. He had slipped into a pair of soft dark blue pants and an old well-worn undershirt (lucky he had taken to leaving spare clothing in his lover's quarters) and settled himself on Thrawn's large and, he had to say, _sinfully_ comfortable bed. He had placed a heating pad at the small of his back, dimmed the lights and closed his eyes hoping to perhaps take a nap while he waited for his lover to come off duty.

 Another of the Chiss' spoiled ysalamiri had had other ideas. Which was how Pellaeon now found himself with Admiral Snoots snuggled up beside him, his head resting in his lap, demanding to be petted. The little beast had slunk down off his nutrient-frame when he saw Pellaeon emerge from the 'fresher. If the expression on the fuzzy lizard's face didn't scream "Worship me!", Pellaeon didn't know what did.

 "Thrawn spoils the lot of you far too much, if you ask me," he informed the creature, mock-severely. He liked the "little Admiral" best out of all of Thrawn's Force-repelling pets, and the feeling appeared to be mutual. "But I guess I shouldn't talk, eh? He's very good to me, too." A familiar warmth spread through his chest as he thought of all the ways that his Chiss warlord was forever showing him his devotion in both word and action. Throughout their relationship, there had yet to be an instance in which he, Pellaeon, had felt unloved, unwanted, or unappreciated.

 Pellaeon had had numerous illicit amorous liasons in the past, was rather infamous for them, in fact, but he had never known what it was to be truly in love until he had lost his heart to the Grand Admiral. He had never given much thought to the idea of soulmates, but he reckoned he and Thrawn came pretty damn close.

 After spending some time paying homage to Admiral Snoots (who acted as though he was the most neglected being in the galaxy), Pellaeon took out his datapad and scrolled through a couple of items that were time-sensitive and in need of his approval. He made it through a few reports before the pain in his back once again reasserted itself. Giving up on datawork, he removed the heating pad and gingerly shifted from his sitting position up against the pillows to lie almost flat, doing his best not to disturb the ysalamir that insisted on being plastered to his side, the ridiculous beast.Time to try for that nap again, he thought. Realizing his human friend wanted to rest, Admiral Snoots resituated himself by Pellaeon's side, tucked his head underneath one of the man's hands, and seemed to fall into a doze himself.

 The sound of the door to the Grand Admiral's quarters sliding open woke Pellaeon an hour or two later. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he caught sight of Thrawn standing in the bedroom doorway, a bemused smile on his face as the Chiss took in the sight of human and ysalamir waking up from their naps.

 It was adorable.

 "I see Admiral Snoots has been playing nursemaid," Thrawn said to Pellaeon, who was still waking up, the amusement evident in his voice. Upon seeing his master, Admiral Snoots scooted over to the foot of the bed and gazed up at him adoringly, happy to see him. "How are you feeling?"

Pellaeon carefully sat up, considering. "A bit better. I had hoped that the hot shower and heating pad would have done more, but....." He shrugged. "I managed to nap for a while, so I'm less tired now."

 "I am very glad to hear that. You looked so strained, as though you were about to collapse on the bridge earlier, hence why I was so concerned and made you take some rest." Thrawn peeled off his gloves and shrugged out of his tunic, carefully laying it over a chair in the corner near the room's viewport and setting his gloves down atop the garment, his comlink the next thing to go. "I knew for certain that you were feeling poorly when you made no attempt to argue with me to try and convince me to let you finish your shift."

 Pellaeon grinned cheekily at his partner. "So me not being my typically argumentative self is one of the ways you can tell I'm having a trying day. That's very astute," he teased. His expression softened. "Seriously, though. How could I give you a hard time when you so sweetly promised to take care of me? I know I haven't exactly been easy to live with the past few days."

 "I did indeed promise. Which is why I was fortunate enough to obtain this." Thrawn reached into a pocket in his white uniform trousers and withdrew a small vial, holding it so Pellaeon could see. "Apparently, Commander Faro noticed that you were in pain and was concerned about you, as well. She was kind enough to give me this for you when I confirmed that you were coping with a sore back. She said it ought to help ease the pain. She was quite smug about it being superior to anything that medical might dole out."

 Pellaeon peered at it. "What is it?"

 "Massage oil with analgesic properties, according to her. As you may recall, she has a rather extensive familiarity with alternative medicine, thanks to her grandmother, I believe."

 Pellaeon remembered. Karyn Faro, a Corellian like himself, had been raised by her grandmother and was quite fond of introducing the woman's remedies for various ailments to her colleagues. Her grandmother's guaranteed hangover cure was legend among the senior officers, thanks to that remedy's efficacy following a round of late-night drinking that he, Faro, and a few others had engaged in on one very memorable occasion. Another remedy had even helped a sick ysalamir.

 "I'll have to thank her next time I see her," he said thoughtfully. Faro was a good friend and she was fully aware of his and Thrawn's relationship, so he wasn't at all surprised that she had given the Grand Admiral something so intimate to use on him. He more than trusted her to keep their secret. "Will you be giving me a massage, then? I'd love that."

 Thrawn nodded. "Allow me to return this fellow to his nutrient-frame," he scooped up Admiral Snoots, "and then I shall tend to you, Gilad. Take off your shirt and make yourself comfortable." He set the vial of massage oil on the nightstand. "I will be back in a moment."

 Pellaeon did as he was bid, stripping off his shirt carefully so as not to further aggravate his back, and laid down on his stomach, his head resting on one of Thrawn's very plush pillows. He could hear Thrawn in the other room, fussing over Admiral Snoots. He laughed to himself. The stern, cool, and some would say, aloof, Chiss wasn't unlike your garden-variety crazy Lothcat lady. The Admiral adored his pets and Pellaeon suspected the crew would find him far less intimidating if they ever saw him showering his ysalamiri with attention. He was selfishly glad that he was the only living being aboard that got to see the softer side of their fearless leader.

 Thrawn returned a few minutes later after making a detour to the 'fresher to wash his hands after having handled his furry friend. He picked up his datapad from where he'd left it on a chair and scrolled through a few items before finding what it was he was looking for. The sound of peaceful music intermixed with rainfall (one of Pellaeon's favorite sounds to unwind to) filled the bedroom. To further set the mood, Thrawn dimmed the lights a little more, his better-than-human eyesight having no great need for overly bright illumination. He retrieved the massage oil from its place on the nightstand and moved to sit on the bed beside his lover. Unstopping the vial, he poured a small amount into his hands and rubbed them together.

 "Shall I begin?" he asked his Captain.

 "Please." Pellaeon turned his head to look at his lover. "I don't know how much longer I can deal with the pain without throwing myself out an airlock."

 Thrawn laughed quietly. "So dramatic, Gilad." He placed his hands on his partner's back and stroked over his skin to distribute the oil, which, Pellaeon noticed, had a soothing scent that added to the relaxing atmosphere Thrawn had created. The oil also seemed to be designed to warm upon contact with bare skin, helping to start to ease the tightness in the muscles.

 It was very nice.

 "Where is the pain the worst?" Thrawn asked, at the moment concentrating on the space between Pellaeon's shoulder blades where he knew the man was prone to carrying most of his tension. His elegant hands found and gently but firmly worked out the knots, earning him a soft sigh from his beloved. Good. So the massage was starting to help.

 "My lower back. And along my spine, mostly," Pellaeon answered, closing his eyes and letting himself go limp under Thrawn's careful rubbing. "When I walk, I can feel the muscles on either side of my spine seizing up. That's why I've been so keen to sit or lie down. That's the only time it doesn't really hurt."

 Thrawn's hands drifted down to the small of Pellaeon's back, his touch gentle, cautious. "Here?"

 "Right there," Pellaeon affirmed. "You can rub a little harder. I'm not _that_ fragile."

 "I do not wish to make anything worse," Thrawn told him, increasing the pressure of his kneading. "Please inform me if I accidentally hurt you. This is meant to be a pleasant, healing experience. I would prefer to have you sighing in pleasure, rather than whimpering in agony."

 "You're doing fine," Pellaeon reassured his love. "I trust you."

 Hearing that seemed to satisfy Thrawn that he was indeed helping his Captain rather than adding to his discomfort. He set to work with a renewed confidence, taking his cues from the sounds Pellaeon made, focusing on the areas that drew pleasured murmurs and moans from the man. He eventually established a rhythm that was soothing to him, as well, concentrating on bringing as much comfort to Pellaeon as he possibly could.

 Pellaeon, for his part, felt more relaxed than he had in a very long time. He gave himself up to the sheer pleasure of his lover's hands on his body, those warm, strong hands that he loved so much working miracles on the muscles that had caused him so much pain and a few sleepless nights the past week. When the Chiss eased out a particularly painful knot along the left side of his spine, he couldn't stop himself from moaning Thrawn's name in utter contentment.

 "I take it that this is helping?" the Grand Admiral asked, concentrating now on the Corellian's shoulders and neck. He smiled to himself, gratified to know that his amateurish efforts were having a positive effect. He had hated seeing Pellaeon so miserable. The human's restless tossing and turning the last few nights had kept him awake, too, not that Thrawn would ever dream of complaining about it. He had instead done his best to take care of the man he loved, happy to have now found a course of treatment that would, with luck, see his Captain feeling more his usual self.

 "Very much. Feels so wonderful." Pellaeon drew in a slow, deep breath, let it out on a relaxed sigh. "I could lie here under your hands forever." The aches and pains that had been tormenting him were steadily vanishing as Thrawn's nimble fingers and the healing properties of the massage oil itself did their work. He was beginning to feel much, much better and said so.

 "I'm happy to hear it. I dislike seeing you unwell, or knowing that you are in pain but there is little I can do to comfort you," Thrawn said softly. "I feel helpless, Gilad. It is a most unpleasant sensation, to see the one you love suffering."

 "You're doing a very, very good job of taking care of me, my dear," Pellaeon replied, deeply touched by his lover's words. "If your hands are getting tired, though, you can stop."

 "No need. I want to make certain I have worked out all the tension and knots. It is no wonder you were in pain. Aside from feeling the effects of however it was that you injured your back, you were extremely tense." Thrawn's hands returned to where he had begun the massage between Pellaeon's shoulder blades. "Rest, _visot in'a._ Clear your mind and simply _feel_. Let me give you this pleasure. You deserve it."

 "Not going to argue with that." Pellaeon closed his eyes again and focused once more on the Chiss' touch. "I could get used to this, you know."

 "If you would enjoy massages on a regular basis, I will be more than happy to provide them. All you need do is ask."

 "And I'll be more than happy to return the favor."

 The two subsided into a comfortable silence while Thrawn gave Pellaeon's back, shoulders, and neck some more devoted attention before finally assuring himself that he had done all he could to help his partner. "All finished," he said some time later. He helped Pellaeon ease himself over onto his back. "Is there anything you need? A glass of water? A cup of tea, perhaps?"

 Pellaeon shook his head, enjoying how relaxed and pliant he felt after that incredible massage, thanking the stars that the pain appeared to be gone. "Maybe later. At the moment, I just want to lie in my lover's arms. Hold me?"

 "Of course, _ch'eo vur."_ Thrawn removed his boots and slipped off his undershirt before arranging himself so that he and Pellaeon were side-by-side, their heads sharing the pillow. He smiled fondly as Pellaeon snuggled up to him, resting his head on his bare chest, sighing happily.

 "Listening to your heart always helps me relax," Pellaeon murmured in a sleepy voice. "Makes me feel safe."

 "The sound of a loved one's heartbeat is the most soothing sound in the galaxy," Thrawn agreed, wrapping his arms around his Captain. "Close your eyes for a while, hmm? You still look exhausted."

 "Mmm. Good idea. You'll stay?"

 "Yes, Gilad. I think some rest would do us both a great deal of good." He placed a kiss on top of his partner's head. "Relax. I am not planning on going anywhere."

 "Mmm."

 The soft music still playing and the lingering scent of the massage oil lulled the pair into a much-needed restorative sleep.

  
The End

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> This fic came about as a result of me pulling a Pellaeon & injuring my back last week. My coping mechanism was to inflict my pain on poor sweet Gilad. ;p Sadly, I did not have Thrawn to take care of me! 
> 
> Special thanks to ArgentGale & uptownhuxyouup for helping me with ysalamiri names! And giving a shout-out to the real Admiral Snoots, the most beautiful gecko boy in the Universe, who belongs to uptownhuxyouup! This one's for you guys & for my moomkin because I adore you & appreciate all the encouragement! :) 
> 
> Cheunh translations:
> 
> Ch'acico means "beloved."  
> Visot in'a means "dear one."  
> Ch'eo vur means "my heart." 
> 
> Also, in a previous fic of mine, Karyn Faro hauls Eli Vanto to a fortune-teller's shop & I just took it into my head that she's into all kinds of alternative medicine/esoteric-type shit cos her old granny taught it to her! ;p


End file.
